The Vital Importance of Visual Symbols

Zvi Ammar who is the head of the Israelite Consistory of Marseille, advised Jews living in France that they would be better off not wearing their accustomed kippa head covering "until better days". This is a statement that is both optimistic and pessimistic. The pessimism resides in the fact that Jews have lived in France for hundreds of years, an integral part of the culture, the larger community, while upholding their religious and cultural tenets; taking pride in their French citizenship and sensibilities.

The optimism is there, in the hope that there will be 'better days', but it seems a sadly displaced optimism. Since the obvious fact is that anti-Semitism, never completely dormant among the French indigenous population historically nor in the present, has been given a tremendous boost by the growing Muslim population which has made France a major destination for Muslims and whom France has welcomed with open arms, proudly uncritical of a culture and a religion that imposes itself on a secular state.

Where once France under the Vichy fascist government with its complete accession to Nazi Germany's occupation, behaved with great alacrity in sacrificing its French Jews to the Final Solution, taking the initiative to do the work of the Third Reich for it and sometimes being more cruelly dismissive of the human rights of Europe's Jews than even the Germans, France now claims its allegiance to the perpetuation of a Jewish presence in France.

That has become a near impossibility, with the overwhelming presence of a growing Muslim population in France, with its hostile and violent attitude toward the presence of Jews in the country. Where demonstrations take place that the French police take little notice of, demanding another, more final 'solution' to the presence and existence of Jews.

So Zvi Ammar as a leading Jewish authority has warned Jews that without the kippa to distinguish them as Jews they will be safer. He sorrows that he has been forced to make this admission, but he prefers, he said also "being criticized for making this decision than regretting one day if by misfortune something very grave occurs." Of course "something very grave" has already occurred, repeatedly, where Islamist jihadists have attacked Jewish institutions and French Jewish citizens, murdering children, their teachers, as well as kosher market clients.

A screenshot from Zvika Klein's experiences wearing a kippa in France, making himself visible as a Jew and suffering taunts, insults and violent reactions

A Turkish Kurd of 15 was recently arrested for attacking a Jewish teacher on a street in Marseille. He informed police that he had acted for the Islamic State group. Coincidentally the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has recently issued a booklet giving advice to its followers wishing to take part in "lone wolf" attacks. The booklet is titled "Safety and security guidelines for lone wolf Mujahideen and small cells", informing its readers how they may best "surprise the enemy" through evading security agencies.

Along with other types of advice for disguising email contents and mobile phone calls, the booklet urges its followers that they must melt into the local population through "not looking like a Muslim". Shaving beards is recommended, as is the wearing of Western-style clothing, and taking care not to attend mosques too frequently. So then, Islamist jihadists are urged not to distinguish themselves visually to be enabled to carry out violent attacks.

While Jews are similarly urged to cover their identities by not wearing revealing items of apparel, to protect themselves from the violent threats to their lives posed by Muslims who take steps to ensure they look just like anyone else.